1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer apparatus and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly provides apparatus for supporting externally insertable drive units in a computer in a manner permitting a user to selectively configure his computer in either a desktop or tower configuration.
2. Description of Related Art
The operating components of a full size personal computer (i.e., a nonportable computer) are typically disposed within an elongated rectangular CPU housing, with the computer being sold to the consumer in either a xe2x80x9cdesktopxe2x80x9d configuration or a xe2x80x9ctower configurationxe2x80x9d. With the computer in its desktop configuration the housing is horizontally rested on a work surface (such as a desktop area) with the shortest side-to-side dimension of the rectangular housing extending vertically, and the front side of the computer housing facing the user. With the computer in its tower configuration the housing is supported on one of its sides in a vertical orientation on the work surface or on the floor, with the shortest dimension of the rectangular housing extending horizontally and the drive access at the top end of the computer.
The front side of the housing typically has an opening formed therein through which one or more drive units, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive and a CD ROM drive may be inserted. Each inserted drive unit is suitably supported within the housing and has a front side that extends across the front side housing opening to facilitate user access to the drive unit, and the inserted drive units are electrically coupled to associated circuitry within the housing in an appropriate manner.
For a variety of reasons it is desirable and conventional to horizontally orient the drive units relative to the user such that the rotational axes of the units are vertically oriented. In the case of a CD ROM drive such orientation is desirable to present the compact disc-supporting tray portion of the drive in a horizontal orientation to underlie and hold the disc when the tray is moved outwardly toward the user and then retracted into the CD ROM drive. While externally insertable hard disk drives may be mounted either horizontally or vertically, they are conventionally mounted horizontally as are floppy disk drives which are generally perceived to be easier to use in their conventional horizontal orientations.
Some computer purchasers prefer their computer to be in a horizontal desktop configuration, while other purchasers prefer the vertical tower configuration for their computer. Moreover, it often happens that due to subsequent changes in work space configuration or other factors a user may wish to use his desktop computer in a tower configuration or vice versa.
Heretofore, it was either difficult or simply not feasible for a user to convert his or her computer from one of these configurations to the other configuration in a manner keeping the front side drive units in the desired horizontal orientations thereof in both the desktop and tower positions of the CPU housing. To do requires rotating the drive units ninety degrees relative to the housing when the housing is switched from its horizontal desktop position to its vertical tower position or vice versa.
In the past, computer manufacturers provided purchasers with a choice between desktop and tower housing configurationsxe2x80x94neither of which could be modified by the user to change it to the other configuration. Simply stated, if, a purchaser, for example, bought a desktop computer and later wanted a tower computer he or she had to purchase a separate tower computer.
Later, some manufacturers began to use the same housing for both desktop and tower computers. This was achieved by providing a drive unit support structure that could be rotated ninety degrees relative to the housing to horizontally orient the drive units relative to the user regardless of whether the housing was to be used in a desktop or tower orientation. While it was possible for a user to convert the purchased computer from one of these orientations to the other orientation, it was quite difficult and involved purchasing a new front bezel and drive support parts for the computer and then reorienting the drive support structure within the housing and installing the new bezel in place of the original one. As might be imagined, these difficulties discouraged many computer owners from attempting to convert their computer from a desktop configuration to a tower orientation or vice verse.
In view of the foregoing it can be readily seen that a need exists for a computer which may be more easily converted by a user from either a desktop or tower configuration to the other configuration in a manner maintaining the front side drive units in a horizontal orientation in each configuration. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.
In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, electronic apparatus is provided which is representatively in the form of a specially designed computer which may be reconfigured by it user between horizontal desktop and vertical tower configurations.
In a preferred embodiment thereof, the computer includes a housing having a first exterior wall with an opening therein, and a second exterior wall transverse to the first exterior wall. A modular device, representatively a drive unit, has a side and is insertable inwardly through the housing wall opening in a selectively variable one of (1) a desktop orientation in which the modular device side is parallel to the second exterior wall of the housing, and (2) a tower orientation in which the modular device side is transverse to the second exterior wall.
The computer also includes a support structure operative to support the inserted modular device in either of its desktop and tower orientations, and a specially designed reconfigurable bezel assembly which is removably securable to the outer side of the first housing exterior wall and serves to block off an area of the underlying housing opening unoccupied by an inserted modular device.
The housing opening preferably has a square configuration, and the support structure includes opposing pairs of slots extending inwardly from opposing sides of the housing opening into the interior or the housing and configured to slidably receive mounting projections on opposite side edge portions of the inserted modular device in both its desktop and tower orientations.
The bezel structure preferably includes a plate-shaped bezel body having a square opening therein and being removably securable to the outer side of the first exterior housing wall in a manner such that the bezel body opening outwardly overlies the housing opening. A square frame is removably snap-fittable into an inner side recess formed in the bezel body and extending around its opening, and an elongated rectangular plate is removably snap-fittable onto the frame in two mutually perpendicular orientations thereon.
To reconfigure the computer from, for example its desktop orientation to its tower orientation, the bezel assembly is removed from the outer side of the first exterior housing wall, and the modular device (presently in its desktop orientation relative to the computer housing) is electrically and mechanically uncoupled from the housing and pulled outwardly through the housing opening. The removed modular device is then positioned in its tower orientation relative to the housing, inserted into the housing, and then again appropriately coupled to the electrical circuitry within the housing.
To accommodate the now reoriented modular device, the removed bezel assembly is reconfigured by removing the frame from the bezel body, rotating the removed frame ninety degrees relative to the bezel body, and then snapping the reoriented frame back into the body recess to correspondingly reposition the blank-off plate relative to the bezel body so that when the bezel assembly is replaced on the housing the blank-off plate will cover the now repositioned portion of the housing wall opening unoccupied by the reoriented modular device supported therein.
After the reconfigured bezel assembly is reinstalled on the housing the housing may be rotated ninety degrees from its previous horizontal desktop orientation and placed atop a support surface in its new vertical tower orientation. The user of the computer may simply repeat the simple reconfiguration process described above to place the computer back in its previous desktop orientation.
This unique user reconfiguration of the computer selectively between desktop and tower orientations thereof is conveniently accomplished using the same computer housing, and does not require any special tools or modification of the modular device support structure within the housing. This reconfiguration method may be used with one or more modular devices, such as floppy disk drives, hard disk drives and CD ROM drives being operatively received and supported within the housing opening.